Each week I’ll list the best widely available free agents for fantasy football — I define “widely available” as being owned in around half of all ESPN or Yahoo leagues — and some guys who are probably better off in the free agent pool than collecting dust on your roster.
Follow me on X (formerly known as Twitter) @UTEddieBrown if you have questions throughout the week.
Here’s my NFL Week 14 waiver wire cheat sheet for all league sizes and formats, with players you need to add, drop and stream in your fantasy football league:
ADD
WR Noah Brown, Texans (ESPN: 35%; Yahoo: 40%): Dynamic rookie receiver Tank Dell suffered a broken leg against the Broncos. Brown had missed the previous two games with a knee injury, but he’s healthy now and will become the clear No. 2 receiver for Houston the rest of this season. He had at least six receptions and 153 yards in two straight games before he hurt his knee. He’s also averaging 20.9 yards per reception.
RB Ezekiel Elliott, Patriots (ESPN: 34%; Yahoo: 40%): Rhamondre Stevenson (ankle) will likely miss at least one game with New England playing on Thursday night this week. Elliott had averaged about 10 touches per game as Stevenson’s backup, before producing 92 total yards on 21 touches (four receptions) against the Chargers after Stevenson got hurt.
WR Elijah Moore, Browns (ESPN: 35%; Yahoo: 43%): Moore had a season-high 12 targets against the Rams, partly due to Amari Cooper suffering a concussion, but also because of his familiarity with Joe Flacco from their time with the Jets. Moore will likely continue to see a boost in target share as long as Flacco is under center, regardless of Cooper’s health.
RB Antonio Gibson, Commanders (ESPN: 45%; Yahoo: 56%): Brian Robinson Jr. suffered a hamstring injury against the Dolphins and could miss some time. Gibson handled a season-high 14 touches, including four receptions and 72 total yards. He’s the overall RB31 in PPR since Week 8 despite missing Week 11 with a toe injury — he has 22 receptions in his last five games — so Gibson already deserved flex consideration.
TE Isaiah Likely, Ravens (ESPN: 23%; Yahoo: 35%): With Mark Andrews done for the season — at least for fantasy purposes — Likely should be universally rostered across all formats. He led the team in receiving yards (40) on four receptions against the Chargers before Baltimore’s bye week.
BONUS: QB Joshua Dobbs, Vikings (ESPN: 46%; Yahoo: 45%): Dobbs throwing four interceptions against the Bears on Monday Night Football in Week 12 followed by Minnesota’s bye week caused some fantasy managers to drop him. I don’t anticipate the Vikings pivoting to Nick Mullens or Jaren Hall. Plus, Justin Jefferson is ready to return and the schedule is very favorable the rest of the way.
BONUS: RB Keaton Mitchell, Ravens (ESPN: 31%; Yahoo: 54%): Mitchell has scored double-digit fantasy points (in PPR formats) in three of the last four games on limited touches, but his role has continued to grow every week — he played almost half of Baltimore’s offensive snaps against the Chargers. It wouldn’t surprise me if the dynamic undrafted rookie gets even more work going forward.
BONUS: WR Curtis Samuel, Commanders (ESPN: 45%; Yahoo: 38%): There’s an argument to be made that Samuel has been Washington’s most relevant receiver in fantasy when healthy. It’s indisputable the past two weeks, where he is the overall WR18 in PPR formats with 13 receptions (17 targets) for 165 yards.
BONUS: QB Gardner Minshew, Colts (ESPN: 11%; Yahoo: 23%): There aren’t many streaming options at quarterback with legit upside. Minshew looked good against the Titans with 312 passing yards and two touchdowns. This week, he faces the Bengals, who are allowing the fifth-most fantasy points to QBs this season.
BONUS: RB Tyjae Spears, Titans (ESPN: 32%; Yahoo: 36%): Coach Mike Vrabel said Derrick Henry has not been put into the NFL’s concussion protocol. Regardless, Spears needs to be rostered in more leagues. He’ll likely have standalone flex appeal with the Titans opening as 13-point underdogs against the Dolphins. A negative game script could lead to more targets out of the backfield for Spears and an overall boost in usage even if Henry is healthy.
BONUS: QB Jake Browning, Bengals (ESPN: 12%; Yahoo: 10%): Only Geno Smith, Dak Prescott and Brock Purdy had more fantasy points at QB than Browning in Week 13. He was lights out against the Jaguars on Monday night — 32-for-37 for 354 yards and two total TDs — and he’s improved in every extended stretch of playing time this season. This also speaks to the slim pickings available on this week’s wire.
BONUS: TE Zach Ertz, free agent (ESPN: 21%; Yahoo: 10%): Ertz will likely sign with a contender such as the Eagles, Ravens, Chiefs, Bills or 49ers after he clears waivers.
BONUS: D/ST Colts (ESPN: 26%; Yahoo: 32%): Indianapolis is the top defense in fantasy since Week 9, averaging 17.5 points per game. The Colts face quarterbacks Jake Browning, Mitchell Trubisky, Desmond Ridder and Aidan O’Connell the next four weeks.
BONUS: D/ST Texans (ESPN: 15%; Yahoo: 14%): Houston’s defense has scored at least eight fantasy points in three of the last four games and has a premium matchup on Sunday. The Jets have allowed the second-most fantasy points to opposing defenses this season and will choose between Tim Boyle, Trevor Siemian or Zach Wilson (again) to play quarterback this week.
BONUS: D/ST Patriots (ESPN: 32%; Yahoo: 23%): Vegas can’t possibly set the over/under for the Steelers-Patriots Thursday night game low enough.
DROP
WR Tank Dell, Texans: Dell suffered a season-ending fractured fibula against the Broncos. He was on pace for 1,205 yards on 80 receptions and 12 touchdowns in his rookie season.
QB Derek Carr, Saints: Carr suffered his second concussion in less than a month and is also dealing with a back and shoulder injury.
WR Jahan Dotson, Commanders: Dotson is the overall WR57 across all formats since Week 10, with 10 receptions (17 targets) for 98 yards and a TD in his last four games.
RB Miles Sanders, Panthers: Sanders hasn’t scored a TD since Week 3 (his only score of the season) and is averaging 3.1 yards per carry, but he’s still rostered in about half of all leagues.
RB Jaleel McLaughlin, Broncos: McLaughlin is an exciting player to watch when he gets into the open field, but he’s not touching the ball enough to warrant attention in fantasy. In the last four games since Denver’s bye, McLaughlin only has 22 touches for 52 total yards.
